After ARCANES
by RealTears
Summary: Henry learns that the Vicki he loves has been changed. Based on Tanya Huff's characters and brought to life by The TV series. This is a spin-off from my ARCANES storyline. Here's hoping I can capture your imagination the way this idea captured mine.
1. Chapter 1

_Glancing at the clock and then at the silent cellphone laying on the corner of his drafting board, Henry sighed in resignation. Another night almost gone and she wouldn't be calling. He thought about throwing out the old cellphone and canceling the number. He only kept it because that was the last number Vicki had for him and he wanted to give her a chance to reach him. She'd left their house to go on another assignment for the ARCANES and never came back. He'd argued about her going alone, but no, Miss Independent had to have it her way. That was twelve years ago and in all that time he only heard from Linden, Vicki's ARCANES handler, once. "**Henry, Vicki asked me to tell you to keep the phone charged and she'd call as soon as she can. Thanks to her, the ARCANES work is finished and the aberrant portals will all be sealed by the end of the week.**"_

_Henry spent months trying to find out more including using the magic arts, but there was nothing else he could learn. There wasn't a trace of Vicki or the ARCANES anywhere, but because of a lingering hope, Henry kept the phone bill paid and the number active, _**just in case**_._

Henry walked down the alley stalking the night's prey when he caught the teasing scent from the past. Shaking it off in anger he focused on his hunt, but the scent grew stronger and his anger deepened. He argued with himself, _"Not now! Not again! I'm through with hoping." _Snarling deep in his throat as fangs filled his mouth he reached for his prey as another set arms reached for its target.

Snarl met snarl as fangs met flesh. Biting down on exposed skin blood gushed into the mouths of both vampires and they froze in place pressing tongues to bleeding wounds allowing the healing properties of their saliva to stop the blood flow.

Love lust replaced blood lust as both tore away the offending cloth that was blocking them from fore-filling the overwhelming need for each other.

He pressed her against the wall as she pulled him toward her. Their desire and need mutual. Kissing then caressing as backs arched and their sexes united. Wave after wave of orgasmic pleasure washed over them until they were left panting sitting side by side on the dirty concrete.

Henry spoke first, "Why here? Why now?"

She answered, "This is where I am."

Henry was to angry to say anything else.

She waited for almost an hour before asking, "What's next?"

He leaned in and gave her a tender kiss just below the ear where he'd been known to take a bite now and again in the past and whispered, "Why did you leave me?"

She shook her head in denial, "I didn't leave you. I got lost and couldn't find my way back."

She sensed that dawn was close and remembered she hadn't found a den before looking for food. If she planned on surviving another day she needed shelter and Henry's continued silence left her with the feeling of rejection. She slowly stood and started to pick up what remained of her clothing.

Henry's hand shot out and circled her slender wrist. "Where do you think you're going?"

She pulled her wrist away and answered, "Dawn's coming. I've got to find a place to hold up."

"Stay with me." He stood and added, "Don't ever leave me again."

"I'm not sure I can stay. I've changed."

Henry moved with preternatural speed gathered their clothing picked her up and with a blur of motion not visible to the human eye he took her to his home.

They had time for a quick shower and another bout of love making before the first rays of the morning sun touched the top of his building and stopped all movement.

Vicki woke with a sense of peace that she hadn't felt in years. She'd made it. She survived hell and found him again. Now she had to make him understand she'd had no choice in staying away for so long and prepare him for the changes in her that couldn't be undone.

Opening her eyes she looked at the pale form resting on the black silk sheets. The reddish gold curls framed his youthful face and his lips turned up slightly in the corners to give him the look of a secret joke being enjoyed even in death.

She was pleased to know that she still woke up faster than he did. Reaching out she hesitated before using the pads of her fingers to touch him in all the places she loved. His lips and cheeks, the small dent in his chin, the curl that rested on the curve where his neck met his shoulder, down the center of his chest, taking a moment to savor the crisp feel of the hair just below the navel that told the story of his human birth. At last her fingers wrapped themselves around his sex and she felt it start to grow. She smiled to herself thinking about the way a man's erection would stand to attention even before his mind was awake. She decided to take advantage of the opportunity and straddled his groin positioning herself and eased down on to his willing member as she found a satisfying rhythm. She was so into her own pleasure she didn't feel him joining her until his hands grasped her waist. Together they greeted the new night with love.

They shifted their weight and ended up lying on their sides facing each other.

At the same time they both said, "We need to talk." And, "I know."

Hurt and anger clouded his eyes as he said, "You left me."

Vicki shook her head in denial as she said, "I didn't leave. I told you, I couldn't find my way back."

"Explain."

"I will, but I'm so hungry. Can't we feed first?"

He held out his arm, "Take what you need. We're not leaving this room until I get a few answers."

Hunger overcame the urge to argue and Vicki bit down on the side of his wrist near the thumb. She took enough to quiet her vampire.

When the pain of her hunger eased she stopped feeding and said, "Look at me Henry. Really look and tell me what you see."

He screwed up his face and shut his eyes tight and said, "I don't need to look. I know your face better than you do."

Taking her finger tips she gently pried an eyelid open. "Please Henry. Don't make this any harder than it has to be."

He looked at her then. The gray green of her eyes were a more peridot green and the pupil was a slit, very much like a cat's eye. She tilted her chin to the side and pulled her hair back from her ear. Henry's hand came up and his fingers traced the outline that came to a point again very much like a cat's.

She jerked her head slightly away from his touch then pressed her ear back into the palm of his hand, "Careful, they're very sensitive."

"What other changes do you have to show me?"

"These are the visible ones." A big tear rolled from her eye and landed on his arm. He felt the heat of it as it traveled along the side of his arm to drop on the sheet. Another tear followed the first as she waited for what he would say next. His ears picked up the sound of each drop as it fell twice, once from her cheek to his arm and then from his arm to the bed.

"Are you my Vicki?"


	2. Chapter 2

"Are you my Vicki?"

With a look of hope on her face, Vicki said, "I want to be."

He studied her face and pushed back the hair and revised his first impression of cat's ears. They were more like the ears one would picture on an elf. He breathed in and recognized her scent as pure Vicki. She smiled and her peridot green eyes glinted behind her thick lashes. Henry placed the tip of his finger into the dent of her chin. "I see there's more to you than there used to be tell me what happened."

Vicki shifted in the bed and lowered her head to his chest and placed one sensitive ear over his heart and started talking as his hand gently stroked her back.

"The last assignment was to be quick and easy. I know you didn't want me to go alone, but Linden assured me it would be finished in less than a day. So I went. Linden didn't know the war on his side of the portals had ended, treaties were being signed and anyone near an open portal would be sucked back to the point of origin and the portal sealed. I'd just sent the demon back and was wiping the memories of the spell casters when I was pulled through. I landed in a rogue camp of the Darelven. A rather nasty group of blood drinking predators. Thinking I was 'food' one attacked and managed to get a bite. My vampire blood killed it immediately, but it's bite caused some changes in me. I later learned the a Darelven bite was always fatal. The changes to me physically marked me as survivor of a Darelven bite and as such I was caged and studied."

The phone Henry hadn't heard ring in twelve years started making an irritating noise. Vicki jumped out of the bed yelling, "Where is it? Answer it, Henry. Get it now!"

Henry heard the note of panic and urgency in Vicki's voice moved at vampire speed, found the phone and hit 'send' and said, "Henry Fitzroy"

The strangely familiar voice on the other end asked, "Is she there? Is she safe? Please come."

Henry's brows formed a 'V' in confusion as he handed the phone to Vicki. She put it to her ear and said, "Where are you? Describe it. Good. Stay in the shadows. We'll be right there."

She closed the phone and made for the door yelling, "Hurry Henry we've got to get him."

Henry moved to stand in front of the door and looked at her naked body, "I don't think you want to go out dressed like that."

Looking down at her naked body she said, "Crap. Give me something to wear. You don't understand. He needs me. He needs us."

Henry held out a pair of drawstring pants and one of his favorite red shirts. He was dressed in jeans and a soft off white shirt similar to the one he had handed Vicki. "Where too?"

"Queen's Park."

"Back to the scene of the crime?"

"Something like that. You're going to meet the one that kept me alive."


	3. Chapter 3

Vicki studied the store fronts and cars as Henry drove to Queen's Park. She wrinkled her brow in confusion at the strange looking cars and store front logo's. "How long was I gone?"

Henry didn't take his eyes off the road as he asked in turn, "Ho long do you think you were gone?"

Shrugging she said, "A little over a year, eighteen months at the most."

"Twelve years. You were gone for twelve long years. I'd about given up hope of ever seeing you again."

Shaking her head in denial she said, "You're phone worked."

"I've kept the number, because it was the only one you had for me."

"I'm glad you did. I needed to give him a way to find me, if we'd gotten separated."

"Who is he?"

"He kept me alive while we were in prison. I promise you'll like him."

"Tell me."

"After the surviving the Darelven attack I was transported to the main hub along with all the other species near open portals ended up. Because of surviving the attack I was placed in a cell by myself. Thank God my bite's not poisonous. Other than how I look, everything else is much the same. My keepers tried to give me food and drink, but didn't get close enough for me to bite them. Eventually Linden found me but decided for my safety it was better to keep me locked away. They did however, provide me with some 'food' I could use.

There are parallel worlds that are very similar to each other, one was very much like our earth but centuries behind ours. A few from that world were transported at the same time and they were put into my cell one by one. I'd feed from them but would take only enough to keep the vampire under control and push them back out whenever the cell door opened again. The last of those I kept, only feeding a tiny amount from him at a time while not letting them put anyone else in with us. When you see him you'll understand. At least I hope you will and I hope you'll help him.

Linden's group was only a fraction of what was going on. Our world wasn't in danger because of the drain of magic or magical species being trapped or dieing here, it was a battle ground. We were caught up in the spill over of a domination battle and because of accidental portals.

With the peace process between worlds negotiated and agreements signed, all the exiles were to be sent back to their home worlds and any open portals were to be forever closed. I asked to have my cell mate sent with me. He agreed."

Henry didn't ask any questions as she talked until they neared the park entrance. "What's so special about this human?"

"Everything."

"Do you love him?"

"As much as I love you. I'd die to keep him safe."

The car had barely come to a stop as Vicki flung open the door and ran into the park making a low whistling sound. Henry followed close behind and as he reached the far corner of the park he saw Vicki with her hands on either side of a young man's cheeks looking at him with adoration. He could hear her words of love and reassurance and a twinge of jealously stabbed his heart. He turned to walk back to the car as Vicki called out, "Come over here, Henry. I want you to meet someone very special to me."

Henry stepped closer as Vicki's hands dropped from the boy's cheeks as she turned allowing him to see the boy's face.

Henry froze mid step mouth hanging open completely at a loss for words. He was looking at himself as he was at seventeen years of age. Shaking his head in denial he sputtered, "How? Who? Why?"

"His world is five centuries behind ours. From what I've learned some of its history is similar ours and some is very different. The shaman from his village took him to the standing stones when he became so sick it was thought he would die. It was a portal and he ended up being sent to the same place I was being held.

"Henry Fitzroy meet Henry Tudor."

Young Henry held out his hand, "Vicki said you're me and I'm you. Are we the same?"

Henry took the offered hand and turned it over looking for a scar that he got as a child. There between the ring finger and middle finger of the right hand was a burn mark identical to the one on his hand. Placing his finger over the scar he said, "Tell me about this."

Young Henry tried to pull his hand back but the added vampire strength held firm. "I wasn't allowed near the forge, but I went anyway. The smith didn't see me and turned with a hot piece of iron. I put my hand up to block my eye and the white tip hit me. He shoved my hand in the water barrel and begged me not to tell anyone. I kept my hand hidden until it healed and I never told anyone."

Henry Fitzroy held out his hand palm up showing the very same mark. "What now Vicki? Are you going to turn him or keep him as a pet?"

"I'm never going to be his Christina. I won't do to him what she did to you. I hoped together we could give him the life he, you should have had. A human life full of love, laughter, hope, adventure, and all the privilege a beloved prince should have. Can we do that for him, Henry?"

Henry looked at the younger and asked, "What do you want?"

"Vicki as my friend for life and you to guide me. I'm dead to my world. Be my family."

This is the end of ARCANES

_I'm hoping to continue writing short stories about Vicki and Henry giving the reader glimpses into their lives as vampires_


End file.
